Libby Sipe is an abstract multidisciplinary artist exploring themes of personal trauma and emotion through an array of colour and texture. Her inspiration arises from a need to process her complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), stemming from child abuse, fabricated illness, sexual assault, familial drug abuse, and mental illness.
Although her work is sculptural, Sipe considers herself primarily a painter. She began experimenting with the concept of paint standing on its own during therapy in 2022, seeking to emulate the removal of her skin — a liberating and exhilarating escape from trauma, anxiety, and fear. This idea of shedding one’s skin led to years of experimentation, resulting in the creation of thin yet structurally sound sheets of acrylic paint that she pulls away from a surface. She began using these paint skins as fabric, draping them onto an armature, attaching them to a cradled panel, or sewing them together. Sipe adds depth and luminosity through painterly techniques such as shadowing and highlighting, creating a glowing surface. She also incorporates dry materials, such as crushed pebbles or shredded tyre, into her paint to introduce texture and physicality.
As her work has evolved, mythology and anthropology have become interwoven with her material process, expanding her personal narrative beyond autobiography, and into the realm of personal mythology. These references create a dialogue between lived experience and the fantastical stories that saved her life as a child. Through this rewriting, Sipe reclaims authorship of her story—transforming trauma from something imposed and silenced into something self-defined, tangible, and magical.
Although her work is sculptural, Sipe considers herself primarily a painter. She began experimenting with the concept of paint standing on its own during therapy in 2022, seeking to emulate the removal of her skin — a liberating and exhilarating escape from trauma, anxiety, and fear. This idea of shedding one’s skin led to years of experimentation, resulting in the creation of thin yet structurally sound sheets of acrylic paint that she pulls away from a surface. She began using these paint skins as fabric, draping them onto an armature, attaching them to a cradled panel, or sewing them together. Sipe adds depth and luminosity through painterly techniques such as shadowing and highlighting, creating a glowing surface. She also incorporates dry materials, such as crushed pebbles or shredded tyre, into her paint to introduce texture and physicality.
As her work has evolved, mythology and anthropology have become interwoven with her material process, expanding her personal narrative beyond autobiography, and into the realm of personal mythology. These references create a dialogue between lived experience and the fantastical stories that saved her life as a child. Through this rewriting, Sipe reclaims authorship of her story—transforming trauma from something imposed and silenced into something self-defined, tangible, and magical.
